JP2001104889A - Air screening device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air screening device capable of reducing the equipment cost of a tea making line while eliminating a circuitous route of tea leaves in the case when screening is unnecessary. SOLUTION: A main body 10, a bucket conveyor 15, a fan 1, the first discharge port 4 for discharging a stem part of the tea leaf, the second discharge port 5 for discharging a leaf part of the tea leaf, a vibration conveyor 12 for the stem part for transporting the stem part, a vibration conveyor 6 for the leaf part for transporting the leaf part and a chute 8 switchable so as to conduct the tea leaf discharged from the second discharge port 5 to the vibration conveyor 6 for the leaf part by disposing its one end at the vibration conveyor 6 for the leaf part and disposing the other end at the second discharge port 5 and so as to conduct the tea leaf discharged from the second discharge port 5 to the vibration conveyor 6 for the leaf part by disposing the other end at the first discharge port 4 by rocking around the one end are provided, and the vibration conveyor 12 for the stem part is disposed at the outside of the rocking range of the chute 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wind power sorting apparatus for sorting tea leaves in a tea production line into leaves and stems by wind power.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a tea making line includes a steamer, a rough rubbing machine,
A middle kneading machine, a wind separation device, a fine kneading machine and the like are continuously arranged, and tea is made through each process. Among them, the wind sorting device separates and sorts the tea leaves during the tea making process, which is called so-called medium fire tea after being processed by the middle rubbing machine, into leaves and stems by wind force. As shown, a fan 1, a sorting hood 2, a blower tube 3, a chute 8, a transfer conveyor 6, a bucket conveyor 15,
For the Lord.

[0003] According to the wind power sorting device, the fan 1 blows the tea leaves falling from the bucket conveyor 15 to separate the stems of the tea leaves into the path A and the leaves into the path B, and to separate the stems into the paths B. Receiving box 7 discharged from 1 discharge port 4
Then, the leaves are discharged from the second discharge port 5 and transferred by the transfer conveyor 6 to the refiner in the next step.

[0004] By the way, tea produced by sprouting sprout from April to May is called "new tea" or "Ichibancha", and tea sprouted from sprouted tea after cutting is secondarily tea, third tea, etc. They are distinguished by calling them. Ichibancha is a young stalk with stalks mixed in it, and it is not necessary to separate it from the leaves for the sake of quality and yield.However, when it comes to second and third teas, the stalks mixed are thick and branch-like. Therefore, in terms of quality, it is necessary to sort and ship the leaves.

[0005] For the above reasons, in the tea making process, there are cases where a step of separating leaves and stems is necessary depending on the tea to be made (second tea, third tea, etc.) and cases where it is unnecessary (first tea). When the sorting is necessary, the sorting is performed by separating the above-described route A and the route B. When the sorting is unnecessary, the fan 1 is stopped and the tea conveying route is set to only the route A.

When sorting is necessary, a chute 8 is provided so that one end has one end on the side of the transfer conveyor 6 and the other end has on the second discharge port 5. Then, the chute 8 is swung so that the other end is close to or in contact with the first discharge port 4 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Thus, even when tea separation is not required, the wind power sorting device functions as a transporting unit from the previous process to the subsequent process, and does not need to have a separate transport path for bypassing medium-temperature tea.

[0007]

However, in the conventional wind separator, when the chute 8 swings, the chute 8 and the receiving box 7 interfere with each other, and the other end of the chute 8 is moved to the first end. There was a problem that it could not be arranged on the discharge port 4 side. Incidentally, it is conceivable to avoid the interference with the chute 8 by making the receiving box 7 small, but in this case, the receiving box 7 is immediately filled with the stem portion discharged from the first discharge port 4,
There is a problem that replacement with an empty receiving box 7 becomes frequent.

Further, from the viewpoint of improving workability, in order to eliminate the work of replacing the receiving box 7, the first discharge port 4 is replaced with the first discharging port 4.
For example, it is conceivable to dispose a vibrating conveyor below the vibrating conveyor.
Interference with the robot becomes a problem. As described above, if the other end of the chute 8 cannot be arranged on the first discharge port 4 side,
When sorting is not necessary as in the case of tea making of the first tea, there is a problem that a separate transport line must be provided to bypass the wind sorting device, and the equipment cost of the tea making line deteriorates.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and prevents interference between a guide means for guiding tea leaves such as a chute and a first transfer means such as a vibrating conveyor which is located below a first discharge port. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wind power sorting device that eliminates the necessity of a bypass line for tea leaves when sorting is unnecessary, and can reduce equipment costs of a tea manufacturing line.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A main body having a tea leaf entrance, conveying means for conveying the tea leaves brought in from the main body to a predetermined height, and blowing means for blowing air toward a falling path of the tea leaves falling from the conveying means,
A first discharge port for discharging tea leaves falling on the falling path from the main body against the wind force generated by the blowing from the main body, and a tea leaf dropped on the main body by the wind generated by the blowing on a path farther from the falling path than the main body; A second discharge port for discharging tea leaves, a first transfer means disposed below the first discharge port, for transferring tea leaves discharged from the first discharge port; A second transfer means for transferring tea leaves discharged from the second discharge port, and a second transfer means having one end on the second transfer means side and the other end on the second discharge port side. The tea leaves discharged from the discharge port are guided to the second transfer means, and the tea leaves are swung about the one end and the other end is disposed on the first discharge port side, and the tea leaves discharged from the first discharge port are discharged. Guiding means switchable to guide the tea leaves to the second transfer means , The wind sorting apparatus provided with the said first transfer means, characterized in that arranged outside the swing range of the guide means.

[0011] According to this configuration, at the time of tea production of tea leaves that need to be sorted, the tea leaves dropped from the conveying means are selected by the blowing means, and the stems and the like discharged from the first discharge port are transferred to the first transferring means. And the leaf portion and the like discharged from the second discharge port are guided by the guide means and carried out to the second transfer means. Further, when tea leaves that do not need to be sorted are produced, the blowing by the blowing means is stopped, and the tea leaves dropped from the conveying means are discharged from the first discharge port and carried out to the second transferring means by the guiding means.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the guide means includes:
It is characterized by being supported swingably by a support rod extending from above.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the wind power sorting device according to the present embodiment includes a main body 1.
0, a bucket conveyor 15 as a conveying means, a fan 1 as a blowing means, a first discharge port 4, a second discharge port 5, and a stalk vibration conveyor 12 as a first transfer means.
And a vibration conveyor 6 for leaves as a second transfer means and a chute 8 as a guide means.

The main body 10 includes a hopper 14 serving as a carry-in port.
The hopper 14 is configured to carry out, for example, medium-fire tea or the like, so that a series of sorting described later is performed. The bucket conveyor 15 extends upward from the position below the discharge port of the hopper 14 by a predetermined angle to a position just before the sorting hood 2, so that the hopper 14 is closed.
Is transported to the sorting hood 2 having a predetermined height. Note that a part of the side surface and the front surface (the front side is not shown) of the sorting hood 2 is made of a wire mesh 11, and is configured so that the air blown by the fan 1 passes out of the main body 1.

The tea leaves conveyed by the bucket conveyor 15 are conveyed to the end of the bucket conveyor 15 while being leveled to a constant thickness by the scraper 13, and are dropped sequentially from the end. Further, a blower tube 3 is provided below the end of the bucket conveyor 15, and the blower tube 3 communicates with a fan chamber 16 in which the fan 1 is housed. Thus, when the fan 1 is driven, air can be blown toward the falling path A of the tea leaves dropped from the end of the bucket conveyor 15.

A damper 16a is provided in the vicinity of the inlet of the fan chamber 16 for opening and closing the inlet. Can be switched to be shut off from the blower cylinder 3 side.

The first discharge port 4 is a discharge port for discharging tea leaves falling along the falling path A against the wind force of the fan 1, and the second discharge port 5 receives the wind force of the fan 1. Are discharge ports for discharging tea leaves dropped on the sorting path B as a path farther (right side in the figure) than the falling path A with respect to the main body 10.

That is, the leaves dropped from the end of the bucket conveyor 15 fall along the falling path A in a state where the air is not blown by the fan 1, but when the air is blown, the leaves are skipped by the wind and the sorting path. Fall along B. On the other hand, the stem portion falls along the fall path A similarly to the leaf portion in a state where it is not blown, but since the weight of the single body is heavier than the leaf portion, even if it is blown, the wind force is not It falls along the falling path A in opposition.

The vibrating conveyor 12 for the stalk is provided with the first discharge port 4
And transfers the stem discharged from the first discharge port 4. In addition, the vibration conveyor 12 for the stem portion.
Is mounted on a mounting table 16 extending from the main body 10, and a swing axis C of a chute 8 described later is located at a protruding end of the mounting table 16.

Further, the leaf vibration conveyor 6 is disposed below the second discharge port 5 and transfers the leaf discharged from the second discharge port 5. This vibrating conveyor 6 for leaves
Is arranged in the vicinity of the entrance of the fine milling machine, which is the next step, so that only the leaves of the selected tea leaves are transported to the final step.

The chute 8 has one end on the leaf vibrating conveyor 6 and the other end on the second discharge port 5 side, so that the leaves as the tea leaves discharged from the second discharge port are vibrated on the leaf vibrating conveyor 6. At the same time, is swung about a swing axis C at one end, and the other end is moved to the first discharge port 4 side (the state after the movement is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1), and the first is moved. Both stems and leaves as tea leaves discharged from the discharge port 4 are guided to the vibrating conveyor 6 for leaves.

The chute 8 is supported by a support rod 8a extending downward from the main body 10 and rotatable about an axis C 'on the main body 10 side, and has a length extending in the longitudinal direction of the support rod 8a. The projection 8c formed on the side surface of the chute 8 slides along the hole 8b, so that it can swing about the swing axis C. Therefore, since the chute 8 is supported from above, there is no need to provide a support below the chute 8, and the layout of the leaf vibrating conveyor 6 and the stem vibrating conveyor 12 installed below the chute 8 is free. The degree can be improved.

A chute 8 is provided at the tip of the mounting table 16.
An auxiliary chute 17 extending from one end to the leaf vibrating conveyor 6 is fixed, and the tea leaves (both leaves and stems) guided by the chute 8 can be reliably fed to the leaf vibrating conveyor 6.
Leading to. The auxiliary chute 17 may be omitted by extending the tip of the chute 8 to the position where the auxiliary chute 17 is formed.

Here, in the wind power sorting device according to the present invention, as shown in FIG.
It is arranged below the first discharge port 4 and outside the swing range of the chute 8 (the range included in the swing angle α). As a result, when the chute 8 swings,
2 can be avoided, and the wind sorting device can be part of the tea production line both when sorting tea leaves and when sorting is not required.

The reference numeral 9 in the figure denotes a bucket conveyor 15.
This is an operation unit for adjusting the transport speed of the fan and the amount of air blown from the fan 1. By adjusting the operation unit 9, the degree of the stem portion to be sorted and the sorting speed can be adjusted, so that the sorting or conveyance suitable for the tea leaves to be made can be made possible. That is, when sorting is not required as in the case of the first tea, only the conveyance from the pre-process to the post-process is performed in the wind separation device, so that the conveyance speed of the bucket conveyor 15 can be adjusted, for example.

Next, the operation of the above-structured wind separation device will be described. First, when making tea leaves that do not require sorting between leaves and stems like the first tea, the fan 1, the vibrating conveyor 12 for stems, and the scraper 13 are not driven, and the bucket conveyor 15 and the leaves are not driven. Only the part vibration conveyor 6 is driven, and the damper 16a is closed. In addition, the chute 8 is swung about the swing axis C, and the other end of the chute 8 is disposed so as to approach or contact the first discharge port 4.

Then, the hopper 14 is filled with the tea leaves (medium tea) processed by the middle rubbing machine in the previous step, and the tea leaves are dropped by the bucket conveyor 15 just before the sorting hood 2. The dropped tea leaves are not sorted and fall along the falling path A without being blown by the fan 1, and the first tea leaves are dropped.
It is discharged from the discharge port 4. The discharged tea leaves are moved by the chute 8 and the auxiliary chute 17 into the vibrating conveyor 6 for leaves.
, And is transferred to the next-stage fine grinding machine by the vibrating conveyor 6 for leaves.

Next, at the time of producing tea leaves which need to be separated into leaves and stems, such as second and third teas, the fan 1, the vibrating conveyor 12 for the stem, the scraper 13, the bucket conveyor 15 , And drives the vibration conveyor 6 for leaves, and opens the damper 16a. Also, shoot 8
Is pivoted about the pivot axis C, and the other end of the chute 8 is
It is arranged so as to be close to or in contact with the discharge port 5.

Then, as in the case of transporting the first tea, the hopper 14 is filled with the tea leaves (medium fired tea) processed by the middle kneading machine in the previous step, and the tea leaves are dropped by the bucket conveyor 15 just before the sorting hood 2. . The dropped tea leaves are fan 1
, The stem part having a relatively heavy weight falls along the falling path A, and the leaf part having a relatively light weight falls along the sorting path B by the wind force generated by the blowing.

The stem that has fallen along the falling path A is the first stem.
It is discharged from the discharge port 4 to the stalk vibrating conveyor 12, and is conveyed and disposed of by the stalk vibrating conveyor 12, for example, to a container for extinction. The leaves that fall along the sorting path B
It is discharged from the second discharge port 5, guided by the chute 8 and the auxiliary chute 17 to the vibrating conveyor 6 for leaves, and transferred by the vibrating conveyor 6 for leaves to the next-stage fine milling machine.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vibrating conveyor 6 or 12 may be another conveyor such as a belt conveyor, the fan 1 or the leveling device. 13 and the like may be in other forms as long as they fulfill their functions.
In the present embodiment, the tea leaves are sorted as a post-process of the middle rubbing machine in the tea-making process, but the tea leaves may be sorted in another process.

[0032]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the interference between the guide means for guiding the tea leaves and the first transfer means located below the first discharge port can be prevented, so that the tea leaves when sorting is unnecessary. This eliminates the need for a bypass line, thereby reducing the equipment cost of the tea production line.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the guide means swings while being supported from above, there is no need to provide a support near the installation portion of the first transfer means or the second transfer means. The degree of freedom of the layout of the transfer means or the second transfer means can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a wind sorting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing the internal configuration of the wind power sorting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a conventional wind separation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Fan (blowing means) 2 ... Sorting hood 3 ... Blowing cylinder 4 ... 1st discharge port 5 ... 2nd discharge port 6 ... Leaf vibrating conveyor (2nd transfer means) 7 ... Receiving box 8 ... Chute (guide means) 9) Operating part 10 ... Main body 11 ... Wire mesh 12 ... Vibration conveyor for stalk (first transfer means) 13 ... Scraper 14 ... Hopper 15 ... Bucket conveyor (transportation means) 16 ... Fan chamber 16a ... Damper 17 ... Auxiliary chute α: swing angle C, C0: swing axis C ': axis

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A main body having a tea leaf carry-in entrance, conveying means for conveying tea leaves carried in from the main body to a predetermined height, and blowing means for blowing air toward a falling path of the tea leaves falling from the conveying means. A first discharge port from the main body for discharging tea leaves falling on the falling path against the wind force generated by the blowing, and tea leaves dropped on the main body by a wind force generated by the blowing on a path farther than the falling path; A second discharge port for discharging tea leaves from the main body, a first transfer means disposed below the first discharge port, for transferring tea leaves discharged from the first discharge port, and below the second discharge port. A second transfer means for transferring the tea leaves discharged from the second discharge port, and a second transfer means having one end on the second transfer means side and the other end on the second discharge port side. 2 The tea leaves discharged from the discharge port are transferred to the second transfer means. Along with guiding, the other end is arranged on the first discharge port side by swinging around the one end, and switchable to guide the tea leaves discharged from the first discharge port to the second transfer means. A wind sorter comprising: a wind guider, wherein the first transfer unit is disposed outside a swing range of the guide unit. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide means is swingably supported by a support rod extending from above.